Geotagging historically or culturally important places of Pakistan. Publishing their pictures and exact locations, along with some details. And the topics related to the history of Pakistan.

Monday, 17 October 2016

British Conquest of India

The 15th century was a turning point in
the history of Europe and the world at large. During this century the
Renaissance was in full swing and Europe started marching ahead of the rest of
world in the field of science, technology and discovering and exploiting new
lands. If Italy was leading in the field of art and culture, Portugal and Spain
were pioneers in discovering distant lands. America was discovered by Columbus
in 1492 and Vasco da Gama reached the Indian port of Calicut on 20 May, 1498. He was the first European to do so by directly
sailing from Europe to India. In the process he gave Europeans an alternate
route, avoiding highly contested Mediterranean and much more dangerous land
routes of the Middle East. The discovery of a new route would change the course
of history and balance of trade; hence balance of political power also. Soon
other Europeans followed the Portuguese to reap the benefits of trading in the
riches of the orient. With an added advantage of bypassing Muslim lands.

India at that time was, as during most of its
history, was ruled by dozens of rulers and without exaggeration hundreds of
their vassals. The Mughal Empire was many decades away in the future to
establish itself as the supreme power (but not the only power) in most of
India. By that time Europeans were already far ahead in sea power as compared
to local Indian powers, who traditionally neglected it. So the situation was
favourable for any foreign sea power to gain foothold on the vast coastline of
India. Portuguese saw the opportunity and soon established themselves as the
main sea power along the Indian coast and also brought the routes in the
Arabian Sea under their control. Their first foothold was in Cochin but from
1510 they made Goa the headquarters for their possessions in this region. Besides
this stronghold they brought several small but strategically and economically
important places like Daman, Diu, Cannanore, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, etc., under
their control and fortified these places as well.

Other Europeans were slow to follow the
footsteps of Portuguese. Duth, French and English only started their activities
almost a century later. Subject of this post is the British conquest of India,
so I shall ignore the activities of other European powers, unless necessary.

In 16th and 17th century the Europeans confined
themselves to mostly trade and business. Mughals were the biggest power in
India in 17th century. However, by 1740s the power of the Mughal Empire had
almost totally collapsed. Punjab though still was under the rule of governors
appointed by the Mughal but the control was precarious and the Sikh power was
fast emerging and for the next almost a century, was going to be a battle
ground between Sikhs and Afghans, in which Sikhs would be victorious. Sindh too
was independent under Kalhoras and later Talpur chiefs. Most of the Ganges
plain was part of the independent state of Oudh centered first at Faizabad and
later Lucknow. While the richest province of Bengal (including the territories
of Bihar and Odisha), was also now an independent state. Besides these big
Muslim states, another big Muslim power was deep in the south of India based in
Hyderabad. Nizam of Hyderabad held vast territories in Deccan and south east
India. Marathas were by now were probably the biggest military power in India,
and were ruling most of the central and western India. Rajput chiefs were
mostly independent or vassals of Marathas. Then there were literally thousands
of big and small rajas, nawabs, chiefs and zamindars, enjoying different
degrees of authority on the vast sub-continent of India.

So in this fragmented state of affairs the
stage was set for British East India Company, to increase its power. They
actually had been doing so, almost imperceptibly, for a long time. Bombay
(Mumbai), Madras (Chennai) and Calcutta (Kolkata) were now not only commercial
posts but centres of power of East India Company. These well fortified cities
were garrisoned with considerable military power. Through these places, the
British conducted there trade and also used them to spread their political
influence in the surrounding areas. These and other such posts were supplied
and guarded by ships of a powerful British navy, constantly patrolling the
coastal areas of India and shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean. Indeed the
British Navy was the most powerful weapon in the hands of East India Company,
to which no Indian power has any answer to the challenge offered by it.

The above map shows the conquests of East India Company from mid 18th to mid 19th Centuries.

Carnatic Wars:

British came to India for trade but as
mentioned above, but circumstances offered even much bigger dividends. British
loaded with new technologies and ideas were quick to grasp the situation. The first big opportunity came in the deep
south, in the peninsular India. A series of battles were fought in that area,
which are known as Carnatic wars.

It is pertinent to mention here that French
were not much behind the British and had about equal force on land and sea and
at actually enjoyed a considerable influence in the state of Hyderabad. Pondicherry,
Mahe, Karikal, Chandernogre, Yanoan, etc were the possessions of France in
India. Keeping in view the rivalry of the two nations in Europe it was but
natural and just a matter of time they would clash in India too.

It all started in the state of Carnatic, situated
in the south east of India, along the Coromandel coast, in the present Indian
states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Ruler of this state Nawab Dost Ali
Khan died in 1740 an event which started a war of succession between his son
Muhammad Ali and son in law Chanda sahib. French sided with Chanda sahib while
the British put there bet on Muhammad Ali. Till then the relations between the
two European powers were cordial. But it was all about to change. War of
Austrian Succession started in Europe and Britain and France joined opposing
alliances. The conflict spilled over to India in 1746 and started the first
Carnatic war. Which continued till 1748, and though saw many actions on land
and at sea, the war between French and British and their local allies was a
draw. However, proxy war continued till 1751, when finally Muhammad Ali Walajah
captured the throne of Arcot the capital of Carnatic. This second phase is
called as second Carnatic war. It was here during the siege of Arcot when
Robert Clive, often credited to be the founder of the British Empire in Inida,
gained prominence. Example of Clive also tells us that war was a profitable
business for the Company and its higher officials. When Clive went to England
in 1753, he took £ 40,000/- with him, an amount which propelled him into the
gentry of England.

Soon a new conflict erupted in Europe in 1756
known as Seven Years War. It renewed conflict between France and Britain in
India also and after many actions the British defeated the French in 1760 at Wandiwash
and the next year they even captured Pondicherry, the capital of French power
in India. This war decisively tilted the balance in favour of Brtain. To sum up the situation, kindly note that this
made British the biggest foreign power in India and also made the ruler of
Carnatic as a mere puppet in the hands of East India Company. They also
replaced French as the major influence in the court of Hyderabad. French would
never challenge the ambitions of Britain again in India and would lay low and
confine themselves to a few small coastal settlements for the next two
centuries.

But above all these wars gave prestige to East
Indian Company and opened a new horizon for the ambitions of the British
officers in the arena. They saw firsthand that how easily their very small, but
well-armed and well-disciplined armies can achieve. Above all they did not have
to import all the man power from Europe, local Indians could also be recruited
for this purpose. Indeed right up to 1947, Indians were always in majority in
the British armies. Needless to say these wars also exposed the fragile state
of affairs of these local states.

Crisis in Bengal:

Like many other Indian rulers, Nawab Siraj ud
Daulah too was watching the developments in South India anxiously. He had
succeeded his maternal grandfather Ali Vardi Khan in 1756, at the age of 23.
Even this young and inexperienced ruler was realizing that English were a no
small threat to the political stability of his state. Already the activities of
British authorities in Calcutta and company merchants throughout Bengal were
undermining the authority of the Bengal government. In this suspicious
atmosphere the Company in anticipation of a war in Europe with France, started
reinforcing the garrison in Fort William and started improving its
fortifications, despite the Nawab objecting them to do so. This proved to be
the last straw on the back of the Nawab and he struck with full force and
captured Calcutta on 20 June, 1756 facing little resistance from a small and
demoralized garrison.

The fall of Calcutta was a big blow to the
British power and prestige in India, and they sprang into action to avenge this
humiliation. A force of 600 Europeans and 900 native soldiers set sail from
Madra, under the command of Clive and he reached Calcutta in February 1757.
After a brief but bloody battle near Caclutta on 4th February, the Nawab
retreated and agreed to conclude a peace agreement with the British. He also
agreed to restore Calcutta and all other trading privileges to the Company. He
clearly had misjudged his and Company’s power.

An uneasy peace was restored, but nobody was
expecting it to last for long. Especially Clive and his company were actively
planning and conspiring to replace Siraj with someone more compliant. They
found ready collaborators in Murshidabad for this cause. Most prominent of them
was Mir Jafar, father in law and an important military official, he had the
backing of rich seths of Bengal and many army officers. Secret negotiations
continued for a few months, during which all the details were settled among the
conspirators and a written agreement was reached.

In the meanwhile Clive did not sit idle and
attacked French city of Chandernagar 20 miles north of Calcutta and captured it
on 24th March, 1757. Thus, displaying his aggressive posture. This infuriated
the Nawab and added more bitterness in relation between the two sides. Clive
made the first move and marched towards Murshidabad, the capital and on the way
declared war on the Nawab, accusing him violating the terms of agreement
reached in March. Nawab also marched south towards Calcutta and both armies met
on 23rd June, near Plassey. The battled started at 0800 with cannonade from
both sides. After three hours a portion of Nawab’s army attacked the British
positions, but was repulsed. Inexperienced Nawab lost his courage and on the
advice of his commanders left the battled field for Murshidabad. In the
afternoon whole Bengal army started retreating and by evening British had
captured all their positions and camp.

After the battle Mir Jafar reached Murshidabad
the next day. Clive reached there on 29th and placed him on the throne of
Bengal. Poor Siraj ud Daula was captured a few days later and murdered by the
son of Mir Jafar, while trying to flee westward, near Rajmahal. These events
placed Bengal firmly in the hands of East India Company. That’s why Plassey is
considered as the beginning of the British Raj in India. After this victory
East India Company emerged as one of the major powers in India.

Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive of Plassey, meeting with Mir Jafar after battle of Plassey, by Francis Hayman.

Now Bengal and its new Nawab Mir Jaafar, were
in the firm grip of East India Company. Nawab was a perfect puppet, showering
millions of Rupees in cash on Clive and other high officials. He paid the
company 18 million rupees as compensation for attack on Calcutta. Besides that
English traders were free to trade all over Bengal on their own terms and
conditions. He also granted them Zamindari of 24 Pargaganas, a vast district
south of Calcutta. But Nawab sahib soon realized that satisfying the greed of
British was beyond his means and the resources of Bengal, the richest province
in India, and made an attempt to expel the British from Bengal with the help of
Dutch East India Company, who had some presence in Bengal, but failed. British
forces defeated the Dutch at Chinsurah on 24th November, 1759. After this
debacle Mir Jafar lost what so ever grace or power he had had and was deposed
next year. His son in law Mir Qasim was installed as the new Nawab. Now the
company not only received customary cash gifts worth millions of rupees, but
also took the districts of Chittagong, Burdwan, Midnapore and Howrah, under
their direct control, with the right to collect revenues.

Mir Qasim proved to be a popular and able
ruler. He tried to appease the British but to satisfy the avarice of the
British was an impossible task to accomplish. He tried to control the influence
of the British and their unbridled traders. He made an alliance with the Mughal
Emperor Shah Alam and Shuja ud Daulah, Nawab of Awadh. The forces of three
rulers met the forces of East India Company at Buxar on 22nd October, 1764 and
were defeated completely. Shah Alam the Mughal emperor, and the nominal
suzerain of Bengal was forced to grant the company the right to directly collect
taxes in Bengal. Thus Bengal lost its nominal independence also. The future
Nawabs gradually lost whatever little authority enjoyed as figureheads in the
coming years. Thus battle of Buxar firmly and absolutely established British
rule in Bengal, Bihar and parts of Orissa.

Consolidation in South:

The decade of 1760s proved to be auspicious for
the company in the South India as well. During this decade the state of Arcot
was almost completely lost its independent. The district of Chingleput was
formally annexed by the Company. Another jackpot was the acquisition of vast
coastal belt, known as Northern Circaars, from the Nizam of Hyderabad. Nizam
Ali of Hyderabad handed over this vast territory to the British in return for
security and military assistance. This deal also eliminated French influence in
Hyderabad. Now, the company was ruling almost along the entire eastern coast of
India. The gaps in this belt were too under the influence of the company. The remaining one district of Northern Circaars,
Guntur too was handed over to the company in 1778.

Mysore Wars:

Complete dominance of Arcot and favourable
alliance with Nizam of Hyderabad made the position of EIC strong in the South,
but still it was threatened by a rapidly rising force in the shape of Mysore.
Mysore was an ancient Hindu state but its control was assumed by Hyder Ali, a
commander of states forces. Mysore under his administration became a powerful
state, which naturally roused jealousies of Nizam and Marthas in the north and
Arcot and its British allies in the east. Friction over the border and
territorial disputes led to a series of wars between Mysore and its neighbours,
which lasted for more than three decades. Main contenders proved to be Mysore
and EIC, aided by its local allies.

The first war started in January 1967, when
Marathas invaded Mysore and were followed by Nizam in March, aided by two
battalions of company troops. Marathas had been bought off earlier for 3 million
rupees and now Nizam too after some political manoeuvering ended up as an ally
of Hyder Ali. Both joined their forces against British. Hyder Ali made
considerable advances in the British protected Arcot, but no side could win any
decisive battle during the last few months of 1767.

To relieve the pressure of Hyder Ali in Arcot,
British opened a new front on the western coast of the peninsula and an army
sent from Bombay, attacked Mangalore the main port of Mysore, which they
occupied in February, 1768, without much resistance through a stratagem. The
trick worked and Hyder Ali sent his son Tipu Sultan to march towards Malabar Coast
and himself followed him. He retook Mangalore and other occupied areas in
Malabar. Benefitting from the absence of main forces of Mysore, company
recovered the lost territories in Arcot.

In the meanwhile the British were in touch with
Marathas and convinced them to join the war on their side in August, 1768.
These combined forced marched towards Bangalore. Hyder Ali tried to prevent the
advance of this army but failed and retreated. He offered peace to the British
and Marathas, but due to harsh conditions put forward by them, the negotiations
failed to reach an agreement. This move proved costly to the British side, as
in the coming months Hyder Ali turned the tide against them. After several
scattered actions the British forces retreated out of Mysore. In November he
launched a big offensive into the British territory and overran much of Arcot
and during this campaign reached the gates of Madras. During this campaign
first and the last time an Indian ruler took British officers and troops as
prisoners. Thus humbled, the British accepted the peace terms offered by Hyder
Ali. One of the terms was a mutual defence pact. Thus first Anglo Mysore war
ended on a positive note for Mysore, in which this state successfully fought on
three fronts against the British, Nizam and Marathas.

Hostilities stopped for the time being, but it
was an uneasy calm. Troubles with Marathas continued till 1772, and despite
having a defence treaty, the British did not help Hyder Ali. Surrounded by
enemies, Hyder Ali acquired the support of French, who still had considerable
presence and power in India and controlled many posts on the Indian Coast. As
happened many times before, when France declared war on England in Europe in
1778, hostilities started between two powers all across the globe, including
Europe, North America and India. British authorities in Madras launched a
campaign against the French ports including Mahe, a French port strategically
important to Mysore as well, and under the declared protection of Mysore. This
resulted in starting open hostilities between Hyder Ali and the British and he
invaded Carnatic in 1780, with an army of 80,000 troops. Thus, started the
second Anglo Mysore war. The British failed to repulse this invasion and in one
major battle near Pollilur Tipu Sultan inflicted a crushing defeat upon a
British Army under the command of Colonel William Baille on 10September, 1780.
This army of 3820 soldier was completely destroyed, with 386 killed and Baille
along with hundreds others taken prisoners. Main British force under Colonel
Hector Munro hastily retreated towards Madras. Following this success Hyder Ali
captured Arcot city, capital of Carnatic.

However the war dragged on; in many other
battles the British performed well and defeated forces of Hyder Ali in three
consecutive battles in the coming months. The British had a full command over
sea and were constantly receiving re-enforcements in men and material from
Europe. Despite that Tipu defeated a detachment of British army near Tanjore
on18 February, 1782, and took almost all of its 1800 soldiers prisoners. Most
of the fighting was taking place in eastern ghats, so to relieve the pressure
of Mysore in this region, the British authorities opened a new front in Malabar
in the summer of 1782. This invasion ended in disaster after initial success
and the commander General Mathew had to surrender. Tipu also took back the
important port city of Mangalore. Meanwhile, Hyder Ali died in December, 1782
and Tipu succeeded him. At last war ended in March 1784 with the signing of
treaty of Mangalore and the British agreed to return all the captured areas of
Mysore and status quo was restored. This treaty was important in the sense that
Mysore, an Indian power, concluded this peace with the company on equal footing
and with favourable terms, which was never to happen again in India.

The peace lasted for many years, but tensions
remained simmering between the two powers, over the issues involving their
allies and proxies in the south western corner of India, in states of
Travancore and Cochin. Hostilities began
when Tipu Sultan invaded Tranvancore and the British who were looking and
preparing for such an opportunity, declared war on Mysore. British commander Medows started his
operation in the district of Coimbatore in 1790, and strong points of Dindigul
and Palghat fell to him. Tipu counterattacked in September and penetrated deep into
the enemy territory. However, no side could gain a decisive victory. In the
meanwhile a large British force from Bombay along with Maratha force of 30,000
invaded Mysore from the North and after a siege of more than six month the
important garrison city of Dharwar fell to these forces in April, 1791. In the
meanwhile another Maratha force under Hari Pant also invaded Mysore. Nizam of
Hyderabad, a close ally of the British, also joined into the foray to show his
loyalty to the British and reap the spoils of war. His large armies were poorly
trained and equipped and were mostly ineffective. Now Mysore was under attack
from all directions by the British, Marathas, Nizam and state of Travancore.

Tipu Sultan had no resources to withstand the
onslaught of the combined forces of three biggest powers of India, with almost
unlimited resources in men and money. Within a few months Mysore lost Bangalore
and the Malabar Coast to the British and large territories to Marathas. Bangalore
was a strong point, which fell in early 1791 and now the road to Seringapatam the
capital city, was open. The British
forces were acting under the command of Cornwallis and after securing his
position in Bangalore he marched on Seringapatam. The first assault on the
capital in May failed and he had to retreat. But many other territories fell to
the coalition. Next year in January, 1792, Cornwallis made his second attempt
on capturing Seringapatam, this time with better preparations and greater
force. Another army from Bombay also joined his force and the city was brought
under a complete siege. After a campaign of two months, Tipu Sultan sued for
peace in late February, 1792. Under the agreement Mysore state lost almost half
of its territory to the British, Marathas and Nizam, including most of the
coast. In addition it had to pay a large war indemnity. Tipu’s two young sons
were also taken as hostage.

This war severely weakened the state of Mysore
and it was clear from the first day, that the British are waiting only for a
proper opportunity to strike a final blow. The excuse was provided by the
invasion of Egypt by Napoleon. Tipu was in contact with France to gain any
possible help against the British. This raised the tension in India also and
three British armies invaded Mysore in 1799 and after some actions laid the
capital under siege. This time British not only depended on military force,
they used stratagem as well. Many high ranking Mysorean officials were secretly
in touch with the British and whose treachery made their task easier to
accomplish.

The final assault was launched on 4th of May,
1799, at 1300. The wall of the city already had been breached by siege guns.
The breach was poorly defended by officials in liege with the British. So
columns of British entered the breach without much resistance. Soon Tipu Sultan
reached the scene and a fierce fighting started, which last until dusk. Soon a
search for the body of Tipu started, which found among the bodies of his
soldiers, who like their Sultan instead of fleeing chose to die fighting to the
last.

Tipu Sultan the Lion of Mysore is only one
ruler among hundreds other, who instead of bowing to the British, died fighting
to maintain his freedom. With his defeat
the filed was open to the complete subjugation of India. Now it was clear that
the rising tide of the British conquest was irreversible and it was just a
matter of time, before the British became the master of the whole India.

The Body of Tippu Sultan Was Found Here (Srirangapatana)

Maratha Confederacy:

Now, Bengal and peninsular India was under the
firm control of EIC, along with the eastern coast. And the road to the heart of
India was open. Nizam of Hyderabad was an obedient ally of EIC. After the fall
of Mysore the next target was the Maratha Confederacy. Of the several powers,
which replaced the Mughals, the Marathas were the biggest one. They occupied
almost half of India. Marathas inhabit the areas currently included in the
modern Indian State of Maharashta. They started gaining strength during the
reign of Aurangzeb and played a decisive role in the demise of Mughal power. In
1758 they advanced as far as Punjab. Their power was checked by Ahmad Shah
Abdali in the third battle of Panipat, but only temporarily. Marathas had many big and small states which
were part of a Confederacy consisted of Gaekwads of Baroda, Holkars of Indore,
Scindias of Gwalior, Bhonsles of Nagpur and Peshwas of Pune, who also acted as
the figurehead of the confederacy, along with hundreds of rulers of various
stature and dependents states.

Thomas Daniell, Sir Charles Warre Malet, Concluding a
Treaty in 1790 in Durbar with the Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. (Wikipedia)

The British were already involved in the
affairs of Marathas through their stronghold of Bombay, which was in their
possession since 1661. In 1770s the British authorities through participating
in the intrigues in Pune court, extended their territories around Bombay,
especially by gaining the Salsette Island. This phase is known as First Anglo
Maratha War. The fall of Mysore opened the door for further expansion and
intrigues. The British saw an opportunity in supporting one of the warring
factions, for the throne of Peshwa in Pune, and forced one claimant Baji Rao
II, to sign a subsidiary treaty in 1802, in exchange for support for his cause.
This humiliating treaty infuriated other powerful Maratha rulers and open
hostilities started between the East India Company and Marathas. The British
launched a full attack on Marathas from several directions. The British
strategy included Wellesley securing the Deccan Plateau,
Lake taking Doab and
then Delhi, Powell entering Bundelkhand,
Murray taking Bharoach. The British fielded a force of 53,000 to accomplish
this task.

Battle of Assaye, 1803. Painting by JC Stadler.

Marathas, failed to repulse this onslaught and
after several battles, Assaye, Adgaon, Laswari being a few of them, lost many
big chunks of their Empire. The most important gains for the British were
region of Doab, Rohelkhand, Delhi and many areas in Orissa, Gujerat and
Bundelkhand. Most importantly it broke the back of military power of the
Maratha chiefs. Thus, concluded the Second Maratha War with British emerging as
victorious.

This peace did not last for long; British were
fully involved in internal rivalries of Maraths chiefs. Now in support of their
own interest and also that of their ally the Mahraja of Baroda, they imposed a
new treaty on Peshwa Baji Rao II, further encroaching upon his territories and
sovereignty. Peshwa decided not to go down without a fight and approached other
Maratha states and Pindaris also.

Pindaris were mostly Muslims of different
tribes, previously serving Mughals but now their chief occupation was loot and
plunder. They were protected and sheltered by Maratha rulers in their
territories. But they frequently raided into the British territories and neighbouring
states. In current terminology we can say they were "non-state
actors". They were concentrated in Malwa region and the valley of river
Chambal. Pindaris were mostly horsemen
and their movements were swift and tactics that of guerillas. In 1817 EIC made
their first moves against Pindaris and marched to encircle them from all
directions. Irregular Pindari bands were no match for the forces of EIC. They
were soon dispersed and hunted all over the central India.

Movements of the British forces caused clashes
with the armies of Peshwas as well. But
he could make no firm stand against this attack and after a few months of
running, reached an agreement with the British. Who allowed him a pension of Rs
800,000/- per year and exiled him to Bithur, near Kanpur. Other Maratha states
too could not withstand the British attack. Nagpur state was defeated in a
single battle of Sitabuldi. In another battle Holkar of Indore put up a stout
resistance in the battle of Mahidpur, but was defeated and could not continue
resistance any further. Hence in short and swift campaign the British
subjugated the Marathas completely and in the process annexed large territories
in central and western India. Numerous other states, including Rajput states
also came under the protection of EIC and accepted it as a paramount power. Campaign
of 1817 / 18 proved to be the turning point in the modern history of India. Now
almost the whole present day India was in the firm grip of EIC. The only two
big provinces out of its control were Punjab and Sindh.

Sindh:

Sindh being the weaker of the two states was
first to fall. At the time it was being ruled by Talpur Amirs, on the old
feudal lines, hence had no standing modern army. They were an easy prey for
EIC. The British already had intruded into Sindh during the first Afghan war,
starting in 1838. They forced the Amirs, to accept a British residence in
Hyderabad and also made them to accept stationing British army in Sindh. Such
steps compromised the sovereignty of Sindh. EIC also took control of Karachi
and opened the Indus River for trade and navigation for the British boats, on
terms and conditions decided by the British themselves.

Battle fo Meeanee, 17 February, 1843. By Edward Armitage.

The British on some flimsy pretexts, like
accusing of hostile attitude towards the British invaded Sindh in 1843 and in
two battles of Miani on 17 February, 1843 and Hyderabad or Dubbo on 24 March,
1843, crushed the power of Talpur Amir. Sindhis fought most valiantly for their
country but could not withstand the finest army in the world. Sindh was annexed
by Charles Napier the commander of EIC army in Sindh and was made part of Bombay
presidency till 1936.

Punjab:

Sikhs were already a big power in Punjab since
they occupied Lahore in 1763. But foundations of a stable government were laid
down by Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Gujranwala, when he occupied Lahore in 1799
and made it its capital. After the conquest of Delhi in 1803, the British had
already reached the borders of Punjab. In 1809 a treaty was signed between EIC
and Lahore Darbar, according to this treaty, River Sutlej was agreed upon as
the border of two powers and all the states and territories south of Sutlej
came under the protection of EIC. However, it also gave free hand to Ranjit
Singh on the other side of the Sutlej. So within two decades Ranjit Singh
occupied Kashmir, Multan and Peshawar. So first time since the time of Sultan
Mahmood Ghaznavi these cities were lost by the Muslims. Ranjit Singh achieved all this success through
extra ordinary talent and hard work. In the process he created the finest army,
well equipped and well trained, in Asia. In the life of Ranjit Singh relations between
Calcutta and Lahore were cordial.

After the conquest of Sindh and internal
conditions of Sikh State at the time, it was obvious that the days of independent
Punjab are numbered. British were closely observing the fast deteriorating
political conditions in Punjab and were ready to meet any challenge. They did
not have to wait long or invent a pretext, as in the case of Sindh. By 1845 the
Khalsa Army was in a state of poor discipline and not in the firm control of
Maharaja Dilip Singh, a minor. Suspicions were growing on both sides,
especially after the annexation of Sindh.

In this hostile atmosphere the British started
reinforcing the cantonment of Ferozepore on the border. And an army under the
command of Sir Hugh Gough started its march towards Ferozepore. The Khalsa Army
also crossed the border and in a series of battles at Mudki, on 18 December,
1845; Ferozeshah, 21 December, 1845; Aliwal 28 January, 1846 and finally Sobraon
on 10 February, 1846, were defeated repeatedly. These were some of the hardest
fought battles in the history of British conquest of India and times; the
British army barely averted defeats and disaster, thanks to the treachery of
Dogras of Jammu and their faction. They were constantly in touch with the
British authorities and not only providing them all the plans, but at some of
the most crucial moments, kept their forces out of the battle or simply made
bad decisions and planning.

Battle of Ferozeshah.

After this defeat the border of Punjab state
were shrunk considerably. They lost Bist Doab to the British and Kash were forced to allow some British forces in Punjab and also to
accept their officials in Lahore Darbar and other major cities to supervise and
control the affairs of the state.

But the matters were far from settled and war
broke out again in late 1848. The immediate cause of the breakout of the
hostilities was a dispute between the governor of Multan, Mulraj and the
British political agent who tried to remove him as governor. In this trouble
the agent Patrick Vans Agnew and another British officer Lieutenant William
Anderson got killed, on 19 April, 1848. This was a
signal for open rebellion for discontented Sikh soldiers and soon troubles
spread all over Punjab. The main leader of this rebellion was Sher Singh
Attariwala. First major battle was fought near Ramnagar (now Rasulnagar), where
Sikhs repulsed an attack of the British army, but subsequently retreated across
the river towards Chillianwala. Here again two forces fought a bloody battle on
13 January, 1849, with heavy losses on both sides. But again it proved to be
indecisive. Now Sikh army retreated towards Gujrat where a final battle was
fought on 21 February and were utterly defeated. However the final surrender
came on 12 March, at Mankiala near Rwat. In the meanwhile Multan had fallen on
22 January, 1849. The Punjab was formally annexed on 2 April, 1849. With the
fall of Punjab most of the KP also became part of the British India.

Plan of the battle of Ramnagar (Rasulnagar). Wikipedia

Map of the Battle of Chillianwala (Wikipedia).

In the coming; decades princely states in north
of the present day KP and Baloch states accepted subsidiary alliances with the
British. Many other areas, previously belonging to Afghanistan were annexed. By
1893 British India had defined its border, with Afghanistan, since then which is
the Pakistan Afghanistan border.

A memorial in Rasulnagar. For more pictures please visit:http://pakgeotagging.blogspot.qa/2014/05/rasulnagar-historical-city-battle-of_29.html

A monument to commeorate the battle of Chillianwala. For more picturs visit:

British took almost a century to conquer this
vast sub-continent. Fighting hundreds of battles, using all kinds of factors
from their superiority in weapons, tactics, discipline, better planning and
administration to dissension among Indians, to their own advantage. This
resulted in making of British India, which was considered Jewel in the Crown of
the British Empire.

I have tried to briefly describe the phases in which East India Company conquered India, starting from its coastal posts and within reaching the most distant corners of India. I expect and welcome any pointing of mistakes or suggestions to improve it.Tariq AmirDoha - Qatar.October, 17, 2016.

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About Me

My name is Tariq Amir. I have done my masters in English literature from FG College For Men H-8, Islamabad. Currently I am working in Al Kass Sports Channel, Qatar. My interests are reading history and maps.